


The Choices We Make

by Dragons_Heart



Series: Obikin Week 2K17 [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Anakin's life is a mess, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Compliant, Canonical Character Death, Choices, Good Life Choices, M/M, Obikinweek, Poor Life Choices, Second Chances, let him be happy, obikin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-19
Updated: 2017-07-19
Packaged: 2018-12-04 01:55:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11545029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragons_Heart/pseuds/Dragons_Heart
Summary: Every choice is like a fork in the road. Some paths lead to happiness, others lead to pain and sorrow, while others are life changing. For Anakin Skywalker, his choices are everything.





	The Choices We Make

**Author's Note:**

> For the second day of Obikin Week 2017! Featuring Anakin's point of view this time.
> 
> The prompt is Second Chance.
> 
> Enjoy!

Being born into slavery meant Anakin didn’t have any choice what his life would be like. Everything he did was dictated to him, from when he worked to when he slept and ate. And even at a young age, he knew that the choice of when and who he married wouldn’t be up to him. He knew he was lucky that he had a master was kind enough to keep him and his mother together and who didn’t work them to the bone day in and day out. And that was a lot because Watto was not known for his kindness, but rather for his brashness and horrid gambling addiction.

So when the day of his freedom came and Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn offered him a place among the Jedi, a chance to escape his controlled world, Anakin knew his first real decision was a weighty one. And it terrified him. How could he leave the place that kept him safe (pod-racing aside)? How could he make the choice to leave his mother behind? She was everything to him.

But, the hand extended to him was offering him a better life. A happier life. A life his mother had always wished he could have.

And so little Ani Skywalker left Tatooine.

* * *

This wasn’t how it was supposed to work.

Master Qui-Gon wasn’t supposed to die.

Jedi weren’t supposed to die. Right?

Anakin hadn’t been gone a week and yet here he was, faced with the fact that the better life he’d wanted was slipping between his fingers faster than sand. Not only did the Jedi not want him at all, but now the only man who’d seemed to believe in him was gone. Anakin had never known grief before, but it settled in his heart heavy now, tears falling down his tanned cheeks in rivers.

“What will happen to me now?” he asked, glancing up at the Jedi beside him, Obi-Wan he thought was his name. The ten-year-old’s worry, pain, and fear were written all over his face. Would he have to go back to Tatooine? Would he become a slave again? Or would he be free, but forced to be on his own and alone while his mother was trapped?

The Jedi turned to look at him and, while stoic, Anakin could see his own sadness in his eyes. “The Council has granted me permission to train you,” he said and hope began to build in the boy’s heart again.

“You will be a Jedi, I promise.”

* * *

 

Anakin decided he hated making decisions. He never knew what was right and what was wrong.

Lately, he’d been doubting himself a lot.

Ten years he’d been with the Jedi. Ten years he’d been training under Obi-Wan. For five years, he’d been denying his feelings for the older Jedi because “attachments are forbidden, Anakin.”

And now, here he was standing at a crossroads.

Padme Amidala walking back into his life had been an unexpected gift from the Force, but it also felt like a curse. His feelings for her were as strong as they had been as a child and he knew being alone with her was not going to help rid himself of them. Add those on top of his secret romantic attachment to his master and his duty to the Jedi, he was in a real bind.

He didn’t know what he should choose. His childhood love, the man who would most likely reject him, or the path he’d set himself on as a child.

In the end, he chose her _and_ his destiny.

Obi-Wan wasn’t a feasible option.

* * *

 

_You’re a fool, Anakin Skywalker._

That’s what the part of him that was barely clinging to the Light told him; the good part of him that the Dark Side was quickly squashing down with each being he killed. His own voice was being drowned out by desperation, by power. By Darth Vader.

Anakin realized his mistake as soon as Master Windu fell from the window. Trusting Palpatine was wrong, choosing to side with him was _wrong._ But the more he allowed the Darkness to flow through him, the more he let it spread in his veins like a virus, the more _right_ it felt.

And under the heat of Mustafar, it felt _perfect._

The good man he was burying screamed at him when he dared to harm Padme, when he began to fight with Obi-Wan. This wasn’t right, it wasn’t supposed to be like this. If he’d just _talked_ to Obi-Wan when he started having visions…no, when he had to choose between the Jedi and his emotions three years ago, he could have had it all. He could have had Padme and Obi-Wan and his children and the life he’d wanted as a child.

But that was no more.

Vader fought with every ounce of strength in the body he shared with Anakin, with every drop of hatred and anger that Anakin had allowed to grow inside of him until it was too late to turn back. But in the end, it wasn’t enough. Obi-Wan still won.

Or maybe Anakin fought against Vader with his last bit of strength and sacrificed himself so Vader would die before things became bad.

“You were my brother, Anakin! I loved you…”

“I hate you!”

_You’re a fool…_

* * *

 

Seeing Luke’s face with his own was like a breath of fresh air.

Somehow, someway, he had brought Anakin out of the cage Vader had him in and helped him to become himself again.

Even with his damaged body and dying lungs, Anakin felt at home again at last. The Light was so warm and welcoming and Luke…he owed Luke everything. He only wished he had more time with him.

As he closed his eyes and breathed his last, Anakin could feel warmth surrounding him. There were so many things about his life he regretted, things he wished he could change, but he was also ready to be at peace. At least without him, he couldn’t harm anyone again.

_Anakin…_

The voice was soft, like a lullaby. He didn’t know who it was, or what, but he didn’t care. Maybe he was imagining it, maybe it was his mother calling him home. Who knew? It was still nice to hear.

_Anakin._

There it was again, more forceful. It reminded him of the times Obi-Wan would be trying to wake him for early morning training sessions. He missed that. He missed Obi-Wan. He wished he could see him again.

“Anakin.”

At the sound in his ear, Anakin opened his eyes. His eyes? But he thought he’d died? He glanced down at himself and…where was the suit? He was in Jedi robes again; his hands were flesh once more. A touch to his head discovered his hair and smooth skin of his face. How?

“Anakin. It’s alright. You’re safe.”

Anakin whipped around and…was that…could it be…

“Obi-Wan?”

The older (much older now, wow) Jedi smiled warmly at him, his eyes crinkling just as they had years ago. It was the same smile that had made Anakin’s living heart flutter. And his…whatever it was in his chest fluttered now.

“I…how…”

“I saved you,” Obi-Wan said. “I couldn’t just let you go like that. You deserve more than to fade away into the Force.”

“Am I—“

“Dead? Yes. Physically. Your self is not. We’re…living outside of the Force, you could say.”

“That’s…I don’t understand.”

Obi-Wan chuckled. “We have all the time in the galaxy to get you adjusted to it.”

Anakin nodded and looked down at his feet, biting his lip. “I…Obi-Wan, I…I’m sorry,” he breathed and tears began to fall down his face. “I’m so sorry. I messed up. I messed up big time. I hurt so many people. I—“

“Hey, all is well now.” Obi-Wan pulled the younger man into a tight hug, rubbing his back. “All will be right. The important thing is you’ve come back. You’ve come back. You’re safe. You’re home.”

Anakin’s fingers twisted into the back of Obi-Wan’s cloak and he cried. He let all of his emotions out into him and let him comfort him. It felt so right, so good. It was like Obi-Wan had said, he was home, he was safe. He had the chance to right some of his wrongs. He could let go of the baggage he’d carried all of his life.

When Obi-Wan began to pull away, Anakin reacted (because he never _thought_ about his spontaneous decisions) by pulling him back to him and hugging him tighter.

“I loved you too,” he said. It was what he should have said years ago. He could feel the shock in Obi-Wan’s body and braced himself to be pushed away, to be told things could never be how they were. But then his embrace was returned.

“I know,” Obi-Wan whispered. “I know. I always knew.”

“I… _Always_?” Anakin pulled back and stared at him with wide eyes, only to scowl when Obi-Wan began to laugh.

“Of course. You always wore your heart on your sleeve. It was obvious. I just never said anything because I wanted you to choose what made you happy.”

The younger man was truly touched and he hung his head in embarrassment. “I…I’m not too late to choose again, am I?” he asked.

Obi-Wan smiled and took his hands in his own. “It’s never too late.”

“Then I choose you.”

“I choose you as well.” The smile the spread across Anakin’s face at that simple statement would have outshone the twin suns of Tattooine. He was giddy. Here and now, despite all he’d done, all he’d damaged, he was finally making the choice he knew was right.

“Do you want to see your children?”

“I’d love to.”

And off they went, hand-in-hand, a new future ahead of them


End file.
